Verite, La Joie 2010

robert_parker97

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2010 La Joie is a cool, mineral-drenched wine oozing with class and elegance. Today the 2010 is all about potential, and there is no shortage of that here. Blackberries, cassis, graphite and spices are some of the many notes that wrap around the powerful, insistent finish. This is another showstopper from Verite. In 2010 La Joie is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. Pierre Seillan thinks of himself as a master blender and vigneron, an intriguing combination. Seillan sources fruit from a wide number of vineyards in the Kendall-Jackson empire. He employs the same approach to cooperage, mixing and matching barrels from various barrel makers to come up with the perfect combination of component wines. It works. All of the Verite wines are aged in 100% new oak, but Seillan keeps the time in oak moderate, such that these wines hardly ever show signs of oakiness, even when they are young. Seillan’s goal is to make wines that improve in bottle and that are capable of lasting 30 years. The 2009s and 2010s are both exceptional vintages. I have a slight preference for the 2010s, a vintage with more aromatic and flavor delineation, firmer tannin and more long-term potential, all results of a season with large diurnal shifts. The 2009s are the product of the vintage with much more even ripening. They will offer terrific early appeal, but also have more than enough stuffing to age well for years. I also tasted the 2010 Tannat, a new wine in its first vintage. The last bottle of the morning was the 1998 La Muse, a wine from a very challenging year that is still youthful and full of life. I have little doubt these 2009s and 2010s will prove to be superior wines. My only hope is that Verite and Kendall-Jackson will keep prices for these wines reasonable. Tel. (707) 431-3930

robert_parker92

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Produced from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2010 is still very primary, but it exhibits lots of fruit and concentration. It looks to be a stronger effort than the 2000, a vintage with similar challenges.

robert_parker92

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

With the lowest alcohol (14%), the 2010 La Joie is composed of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Copious aromas of incense, unsmoked cigar tobacco, Christmas fruitcake, cedar, underbrush, black currants and a hint of espresso roast emerge from this medium to full-bodied, rich, concentrated red. It needs 4-5 years of cellaring and should keep well for 2 to 3 decades. This is the flagship, luxury, world-class winery of the late Jess Jackson’s portfolio of small, high quality estates. Jackson convinced Bordelais Pierre Seillan to come to California from St.-Emilion to make these wines, and Verite has been one of the classics for well over a decade. The La Muse cuvee represents a Pomerol-styled wine, La Joie a Medoc and Le Desir a St.-Emilion. These are long-term, concentrated, tannic efforts that usually require 5-10 years of bottle age, and are meant to age for at least three decades. The 2012s possess fabulous potential. It is nearly impossible to decide which of the three cuvees is the finest (it probably depends on your own personal stylistic predilections), but the alcohols are normal for a top California vintage, ranging from 14.1% to 14.3%. Obviously, 2011 was a much more challenging vintage, and the wines reflect that although they are unquestionably successful, even in this vintage. Pierre Seillan told me that the harvest was extremely late, and there had to be an enormous amount of selection done both in the vineyard and the winery to create these cuvees. A relatively cool, late-harvest year with a tiny crop, the 2010 vintage required a tremendous selection process as well as meticulous work in both the vineyard and winery. All three offerings have turned out to be surprisingly approachable for young Verite wines. A great vintage for Verite that rivals 2012 and probably what was achieved in 2013 is 2009. It was the type of vintage that Seillan desires – high in tannin, high in extract, with incredible upside potential for all three cuvees. The 2009s are the most backward and powerful of the four vintages reviewed in this report. The alcohols ranged from 14.5% to 14.6+%. Tel. (707) 433-9000

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2010 La Joie has all of the rich explosiveness it had last year. Grilled herbs, black fruit, smoke, tobacco, incense and graphite all take shape in the glass. Firm, structured tannins support the fruit in a wine that captures the essence of this fabulous, cool vintage. The 2010 continues to open up in the glass, showing gorgeous inner perfume and sweetness. Cassis, white flowers and violets add nuance on the opulent, mineral-infused finish. A super-ripe, racy wine, the 2010 La Joie should enjoy a wide window of drinkability. The blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. I tasted a wide range of wines with Pierre Seillan during my most recent visit to Verite. The 2010s were still in tank awaiting imminent bottling. For that reason, the wines were a little closed down relative to how they showed last year. The 2011 and 2010 harvests both started on September 26, but the 2010 harvest ended in mid-October, while the 2011s were picked all the way to the end of the month. Seillan describes 2011 as an earlier drinking vintage next to 2010, although given the way these wines age, I would not be surprised if the 2011s develop nicely in bottle. Seillan told me he performed aggressive leaf pulling two weeks before the harvest in order to get the fruit ripe. I also tasted all the 2002s and 2003s, and was particularly impressed with the 2002s, all wines that have held up well. Tel. (707) 431-3930

vinous97

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Graphite, plums, smoke, licorice and incense jump from the glass in the 2010 La Joie. Rich, sumptuous and beautifully layered, the 2010 captures the essence of the vintage. The fruit is intense and super-concentrated, but at the same time, there is plenty of vibrancy and sheer verve in the glass. The 2010 needs at least a few years in bottle for the Cabernet Sauvignon tannins to start softening.